ETM, a Costa Mesa-based competitor to the likes of TicketMaster and BASS, will be offering tickets through automated machines similar to ATMs.

The ETM machines work much like a standard ATM. You walk up to a touch-screen machine and select a menu that gives you a calendar of events. You select the movies or events on the dates you want and swipe your credit card to start the transaction. The machine then asks you to punch in your ZIP code as a security measure, forgoing the oft-forgotten credit card PIN number. A few seconds later, the tickets pop out of the machine with a receipt.

ETM has made a big splash in other markets, especially in the sports world. In Los Angeles, the company sells Dodgers tickets and it has just signed to handle all automated sales for the San Diego Sports Arena. In other baseball markets, ETM handles the New York Mets, the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins. It also sells tickets for more general events on both coasts, including Broadway plays in New York and amusement parks in Southern California.

Unfortunately, the machines won't be able to spit out much for local events at first because the company has yet to land the kinds of lucrative agreements that have made the kiosks a big hit in other cities. To date, only the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Red & White Fleet boat tours have signed on to distribute through ETM.

In the meantime, you can buy tickets through local ETM machines for events in the other cities they serve. In other words, a local traveler could pick up Mets and Broadway tickets at their supermarket before heading off to the Big Apple.

In the Bay Area, ETM is negotiating with the Giants and the A's, Paramount's Great America amusement park and local movie theaters, according to Al DeJardin, ETM's managing director, national sales.

The lack of local clientele doesn't scare Safeway, which feels confident ETM will make significant friends in its new neighborhood.

"They've gone very well in our other stores," said Debra Lambert, Safeway spokesperson, referring to ETM machines at Arizona Safeways and South State Vons stores.

"Customers have appreciated the additional service. It's continued to grow, and we expect the same here."

As of Wednesday, the ETM machines were installed only in the Marina Safeway, but all 28 local units should be operable by March 30, said Lambert.

Formed in 1994 to develop voice recognition software for phone ticket sales, ETM saw its fortunes change dramatically in 1995 when the rock group Pearl Jam got into its own jam with the behemoth ticketing company TicketMaster.

Refusing to use the ubiquitous distributor for its upcoming tour, Pearl Jam instead turned to unknown ETM to handle the ticket distributorship. Although the tour was not particularly successful, the company saw the opportunity in ticketing, not just software, said DeJardin.

In the past five years, ETM has expanded its services to include phone sales (both voice recognition and live operator), Internet sales and box office operations.

Now, the company sees its opportunity right next to the barbecue briquets and the tabloid racks.

"Supermarkets have the traffic we want, with 25,000 to 50,000 people a week," said DeJardin. "That's the kind of footsteps we want to see."

Lower service charges could be another attraction. According to DeJardin, ETM "delivers 20 percent lower service charges" than its competitors.&lt;